Brass of Peace to Perform at Lyceum

Brass of Peace, a group of select high school musicians from Northern Virginia, will kick off the holiday season with a free holiday concert Nov. 28 at the Lyceum.

The ensemble of top student musicians was selected through auditions held earlier this season from throughout the region.

"This is an honors band representing several area high schools," said Dan McKay of the Alexandria Performing Arts Association. "This is the third year that APAA is sponsoring a holiday concert by these exceptional musicians."

This year's concert will feature holiday compositions in a variety of musical styles from Bach and other Baroque compositions to Mel Torme's "The Christmas Song" and other contemporary tunes.

Brass of Peace musicians are selected on musical merit from various schools and play under the direction of Sylvia Alimena, a French horn player in the National Symphony Orchestra and musical director of Alexandria's Eclipse Chamber orchestra.

Graduates have gone on to attend The Curtis Institute of Music, the Juilliard School and the New England Conservatory and some are current instrumentalists of the Philadelphia Orchestra, the San Francisco Symphony and the U.S. Marine Corps and Air Force Bands.

Sunday's concert begins at 4 p.m. and will be followed by a reception featuring beverages and light fare. Admission is free but tax-deductible donations will be accepted. The concert hall of the Lyceum, located a 201 S. Washington St., seats between 125 and 140 so attendees are encouraged to arrive early.

Brass of Peace, founded in 1977, is a scholarship program for gifted high school musicians. For more information, visit www.brassofpeace.org.